To live, serve a purpose, and die alone
by Fearless Shadow
Summary: A girl enters the scene, so much more powerful than an old one, yet clueless about what her purpose is, so lost and alone- knowing who her family are, but not being able to be near them:- Especially her brother. But she knows she must assisst the 6...
1. Prologue The real world

AU: God, I bet I know what you're all thinking, god, this is going to be so rubbish, I hate it when authors add new characters to books, cartoons etc etc, but please give this fic a chance. I mean, I thought you'd all think that way, but my friends all thought it was good, and kept on pestering me until I posted it. Be gentle with your reviews, my first TDIR fic. . . (",)  
  
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A young girl, perhaps around the age of 14, with shoulder length dark brown hair, lay unconscious on the smooth sand that lay glistening under the sun by the shores of the river dyfi. "Argh." She moaned softly. She attempted weakly to lift her arm to massage her aching temples, but failing to do so, didn't even bother to open her sore eyes. How long had it been since she had any got decent sleep? "Grace. . . Grace? Please wake up. At least try to open your eyes. What on earth has happened to you?" Pondered a deep old mans voice. It was like gentle music compared to the dull ringing in her ears that just wouldn't go away. She tried once more to open her eyes. She moaned once more. "I. . . I can't." She managed to choke out. Her voice was hoarse and dry, like she hadn't spoken to anyone in days. Suddenly, before she knew what was happened, was lifted up of the sand by strong, yet gentle arms. "Where are you taking me?" She asked wearily. She didn't even seem to be properly awake. "Sshhh. . . don't waste your energy." She began tugging persistently at his shirt. "We are journeying somewhere far from here, where the dark may not reach us."  
  
There was silence. . . and then something from long, long ago came into her mind.  
  
The dark, the dark will come rising. . .  
  
The girl's eyes suddenly snapped open. The old man glanced down at her. He was wearing a long dark blue cloak, and his hood prevented her from seeing what colour his hair was, and the shadows made by it prevented her from seeing what his expression was exactly. He stopped, and laid her down gently as though she was a China doll that would brake at the slightest impact. She glanced behind her, and saw as though surrounded by mist, huge wooden doors. And in a flash, disappeared. "You are awake." He said in relief. She didn't reply, but instead stared at him, pleading him to talk more about The Dark. . . although something inside her thought that it could be dangerous discussing such matters. As if on cue he replied. "You need not worry about the Dark, for now, when you have. . . will come into your power, no-one of the Dark shall be able to hurt you. You are too innocent. . . and of course, powerful." He added as an after-thought. She glanced down at the surface she was sitting on. Grass. She looked around her, trying to take in and memorise every beautiful detail in the place that surrounded her. It was a vast field surrounded by trees around the far edges of it, encircling them, and a single tree stood alone, yet immense, and importantly in the middle. Almost as if challenging anyone that dared to go near it. "I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about sir. My pitiful existence has always been meaningless and painful. . . but I feel I have no right to question you, but one thing, where are we, and what happened to me?" She asked " What happened to you, even I do not know. But I am guessing that on your way here, through time, the dark tried to intercept your arrival. But you, even with your immature, not yet properly tuned abilities, managed to somehow defeat them. . . You have so much power and potential. Even you have no idea what you are capable of. But I and the old ones will teach you all you need to know, if we can, for I don't even know what will happen now." He paused, turned slightly around and lifted his right arm, as though embracing the beautiful field of green. " You are in a place where no-one may harm you. where the dark will diminish, and the light shall conquer." "The Light? I know. . . the Light. . . a dream perhaps, but so real. . . I have met an old one before. . . " He gazed at her, his dark eyes twinkling in the shadows of his hood. "Indeed you have." "But I don't even know what, or who an 'Old One is. . . " The man sighed. "So many questions, such little time. But I may as well start from somewhere. . . I haven't even told you my name. . . I am Merriman Lyon. I am a friend, and I am at the service of the Light. It's what I was born to do. But you must also believe. Without belief and trust, you can not possibly reach your highest potential. You would be pushing away all our help." She paused slightly before answering. "Merriman. . . such an unusual name. . . but sir, who am I supposed to represent? Are you gong to keep me here as a hostage because I am perhaps of the Dark?" Merriman chuckled heartily. "Call me Merriman. And if you remember, I said that you would come to power here, and that you were too innocent for any harm to be done to you. Why would I help a servant of the Dark come to power? You must remember everything an old one says, it will help you perhaps now, or even making a decision in the future, it could also help you on a quest. Remember Grace, You have not much time to learn our ways, therefore I am hoping you have an excellent memory." She nodded positively. There seemed to a different kind of sparkle in her eyes now. Now that she was no longer afraid, and knew she could trust him, lowered her guard. Like he had said, nothing could harm her here. "You need to be strong Grace. For the things I'm about to tell you, you will find hard to accept. But I beg of you to trust me. For we have no time to waste on you being suspicious. I'm sorry no-one could tell you these things, someone closer to you then I, but The Lady ordered me to make haste." "I understand. I will be strong. I will not fail the Light and my Lady. . . " Merriman's eyes twinkled excitedly. "You're remembering! Oh this is wonderful. I have made the right decision in bringing you to this magical place after-all. The Lady thought it was unnecessary, but we shall see. . . " Grace remained silent, still utterly confused. "Come closer, my child. We shall see how much you will remember, and how much is stored in that mind of yours." Grace stepped forward a few steps facing Merriman. He raised his long arms and put his slender fingers gently around Graces' fragile head. "Clear your mind. Think of nothing for now. . . leave your mind utterly blank." He paused, and the grip around Grace's head tightened a little. "The barrier in your mind. . . it is so strong. . . relax Grace." Grace dropped to her knees suddenly, pulling Merriman down with her. Merriman opened his eyes a fraction trying hard not to brake his concentration. . . but his heart nearly stopped at the sight he saw. He almost expected her to be dead. Suddenly Graces' body went limp and rested on Merriman. Merriman still kept his hand on Grace's head. "Grace? What are you doing? I still can't get into your mind. . . Grace?" He looked at her once more tentatively.  
  
She's not breathing. . .  
  
He began releasing his grip. He had to help her! What was wrong? 'Don't move you hands, I'm working on it. The only way, I think, I can do this, is if I'm unconscious, but I have to be quick, or I'll go into a coma.' Reluctantly Merriman rested his hands on her head in the same position as before trying to concentrate, with Grace's limp form leaning against him. Feeling only slightly relieved that she at least knew how to use one of her powers. And suddenly saw. . . He saw her past. . . The Lady training her. . . she raised her hand. . .  
  
. . . "Come on now Grace! You can do this. . . I trust you. . . you're  
small now but you must use your mind. . . Your last task. . . I know you can complete it successfully." She knew Grace could control her mind, but the poor girl. . . she was so afraid at hurting her. . . she resisted the urge to smile. Knowing how much Grace loved her just made her feel warm inside. . . such innocent and pure love. Uncomplicated unlike everything else in life. Merriman stood motionless staring at Grace, merely a four-year-old and The Lady, looking neither old, nor young. "But I can not mother! How could you expect me to do that to you? I refuse to torture you! You know very well how much this would hurt you." Little Grace replied in a very grown-up voice. so sophisticated- but how? "Please, you must try, This is your final test. There will be no more training after this! Come over here." Grace reluctantly did as she was told. "Close your eyes, and concentrate. You know what you must do, as I have told you many times before. And don't stop no matter what. You will need this technique to survive in the future." She closed her eyes, and both stood there unmoving for a nervous few seconds, and abruptly, the Lady began twitching violently. Merriman could feel her trying to resist Graces' power, but she was too strong. He heard Grace moaning from the hard work. . . but suddenly, something was going wrong. . . there seemed to be like an electrical current between them. "Raise your arm." Ordered Grace, in a voice so cold, it sent a chill down his spine. The Lady did as she was told, without hesitation, almost as though she had been hypnotised. Slowly Grace too raised her arm and touched the Lady's fingertips briefly, muttering a few strange words. . . and then. . . Merriman could do nothing but watch as the bright yellow sparks came out of Grace and began zapping The Lady all over, and suddenly, Grace collapsed onto the floor, followed by the violent twitching of the Lady's frail body. Merriman breathed heavily. He had to keep telling himself that this was the past and he couldn't do anything to change the way things had happened. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Grace. She would be re- living this terrible nightmare. The Lady stopped twitching finally and began to regain power of her own body. Her eyes fluttered open. "Argh." She moaned softly and lifted her head- though with difficulty. "Grace? Grace my child, why are you so angry? You did it! You managed to succeed in your final task. . . " Whispered the Lady unsure of how Grace would reply after electrocuting her. Of course it could very well have been a mistake. She could have lost control of what she had been doing whilst trying to control her own. But. . . she didn't think so. She could see how angry Grace was, and it was beginning to frighten her. What could have gone wrong? Grace tried to stand up, but couldn't so instead propped herself upright on a chair near by. "You. . . you lied to me." She said venomously. Hate audible in every syllable. The Lady suddenly seemed fearful. She didn't want to show it at first, but she couldn't control what she was feeling anymore. Perhaps Grace had enchanted her. . . Perhaps. . . "Grace?" Whispered the Lady trying to contemplate what, and how much Grace had found out, about what she was talking about. "I trusted you. I trusted you with everything. . . With my life. . . and I would have served you until the end. . . until now. . . now I know everything. . . I can never do anything under your command- knowing how much you could hurt me. . . how much you have hurt me. And you're not even my mother. . . and you were going to make me forget everything after this test. . . You destroyed me." "Grace, I'm sorry! You just couldn't understand! You're not normal for a girl aged four in the humans' world! I was going to give you the perfect childhood! If I had made you forget, then you would still have remembered all your training if there came a time you needed it, and would act like a normal human child, and had a family to take care of you in the perfect environment. The kind of place a child would want to be in. To have fun in, and not take tests to make her stronger! Its too much responsibility." She said with such a loving and tender voice, that Merriman had to look away. He hated to see his master so. . . so weak, and emotional. But Grace merely sighed, and turned around to walk out of the large dining room. "I won't let you." She held up her hand, and pointed all her fingers to the ceiling, and immediately a barrier formed between her and the Lady. Assuming that this barrier would deflect any magic. But she failed to see that using magic for love was more powerful than anything in the world was. A mere barrier cast by a four-year-old couldn't deflect The Lady's magic solely the consequence if her love for Grace. "Please. . . why couldn't you have just let me be? Everything would have been so much easier. . ." The Lady sighed softly. She may not be at the full height of her magical powers, but she could do what she needed to do. She would find the energy somewhere. . . because if she didn't, if she failed her duties, then Arthur would be so mad. . . and Graces' childhood would be lost forever. . . she could never go back again. "Forget. . . You must forget. . . It's the way it must be. Your destiny. . . She heard Grace collapse instantly on the floor of the stretching hallway, the life temporarily drained out of her. The Lady stretched out the five fingers of her slim right hand, whispered a few words of the old ones, and Grace gradually disappeared. . . into another time. . . another world. . . another lifetime. The Lady suddenly broke into tears. . .  
  
. . . Merriman removed his hand from Graces' head and gazed at her face  
with compassion. Tears streamed down her weary yet still beautiful face, and closed her eyes trying to block away the world that had hurt her so much. Willing herself to forget. . . but knew that she couldn't. . . knew that she wouldn't have the strength to do such a thing. . . but also, didn't have the strength to go on. All the memories came flooding back into her mind. . . the training. . . the Lady. . . the Old Ones. . . her first encounter with Merriman when she was three. And her father. . . she sighed. Instead of the memories coming back slowly into her mind, brief snapshots of time, it all came back cascading into her mind. . . like they had been waiting for so long for her to remember. But she didn't want to! The Lady was right. She was so much happier when she hadn't known at all. Even though her adopted parents were now dead. And how long she had been searching for her real parents. But knowing, finally, who they were now. . . didn't make the situation any better. If anything, it made it worse, knowing that she couldn't be with them. They were left in another time. Another era. . . "Grace. . . now you know. . . I didn't even have any idea of this. . . I was just, told to wake your sleeping mind. The Lady never told me. But. . . now you know. . . And you must-" Stuttered Merriman, unable to think of anything suitable to say in a situation like this. He felt a little nervous talking to Grace, he tried to find the write words to say to her without hurting her feelings. It was almost like he was talking to his master again. "- I must save the world from the Dark. . ." "Well, you will have quite some part in it actually. . . not directly, but without you, the world would be doomed into darkness. But, also, you can not learn any more, apart from what you will learn from your journeys and quests in the future. . . I had no idea about your training. Only you can train yourself from now on, for you are not an old one, with the powers that we possess. . . therefore we can no longer teach you, after all. You have to be strong and. . . responsible. I know this is all too much to ask of you. . . but the cause. . . the cause you would be fighting for. . . think about it. You may also choose not to accept to help the Light. But you will not forget you past. . . you won't forget all that has happened now, and in the past. . . or who your parents are. . . "He added quietly. "How long do I have to decide?" She asked quickly. "As long as you need, I will be here with you, in this time, this dimension. . . if you need to ask any questions. . . or anything, I'll be here." "I don't need any time." She replied almost coldly. "I have already made up my mind. I know what I must do. I can not just learn about this and not do anything. Besides, I would be a shame to my family wouldn't I?" A hint of a smile crept up on her rosy lips. "I have known what I must do ever since I was little, that's what I was trained for, wasn't it? "This technique will help you in the future. . . " Besides, my adopted parents are dead, I have no family. . . well. . . that I knew of before I found out all of this.and all my friends. . . I have no real friends. They were all fake. Every smile meant that they wanted something, every tear meant they wanted attention. . . nothing was real. This is real. This is what I must do. The real world. I must stop living in the past. Wishing my adopted parents to still be here with me, to support me as they used to. They won't come back. " "Grace, you cannot blame the past. . . the past is what made you into what you are. The honest, innocent, and powerful young lady you have become. Don't be afraid of it. There's nothing wrong with mourning the death of your parents. there's nothing wrong in loving. For loving is what makes you, you. Love is the one thing in the world you need to trust. That is the one thing that is true. The one thing you can trust. You need not surround your heart in a stone wall. Being able to deal with your past will make you stronger." Her face was impassive. "This is my destiny. What is meant to be. I have no choice really. . . it was all planned for me in the first place. . . when I would cry. . . when the ones I loved would die. . . If I could ever learn to love again. . ." She sighed. "My brother. Does he know who his father is? Does he know about me?" "Well. . . he knows who his father is. but he doesn't know about you. I'm afraid many people don't know about you, accept the high magic. They will try and protect you through your quests. They will not help you, but if your life is in danger, then we will be there. . . accept at the very end." "The very end. . . I will die soon then?" She asked. She sounded almost relieved that all the pain and suffering in her life would come to an end at some point. At least she wouldn't live forever like an old one. "There is no need to think about this Grace. No need to reflect on such morbid things. Please, free your mind of all sorrow. That is the future. . . you can't do anything about what will happen. You just have to deal with it as it comes." Grace remained silent. "Come, let's go back into your brothers time." "Wait. . . um. . . does my father know about me?" She asked in a barely audible whisper. "He does, yes. When you first starting training when you were 13 months old, your father sensed you somehow. . . it's just a bond he has with his children. and then, eventually, he found out you were his daughter. He tried to take you away from the Lady, because he knew she was training you for the purpose of saving one of the six, so they would be successful in banishing the dark. He knew all of it. . . but he didn't want you to suffer so badly. He wanted someone else to be given this task. . . A girl. . . a poor innocent child, being put through such torment. His daughter being put through so much torment. He almost went insane. He couldn't have his son by him either, and not being able to have his daughter just. . . just made him mad. . . madder than anyone had ever seen him in his whole life." Tears filled up in her eyes at the painful truth. She was alone. So completely alone. No one knew her. . . know-one knew what she was like what she liked eating in the morning, the kind of clothes she liked wearing. . . the kind of music she liked. . . all the little things. It was like starting a completely different life. Suddenly she broke into a fit of sobs, and rested her head on her knees. And there wasn't even any hope of her going back to her father either. No hope, to change what was already planned. . . no hope. Merriman walked over to her, and gently rubbed her back in support. "It's okay Grace. . . these terrible times will come to pass. . ." "How can you say that? It won't be all right! I'm alone! So utterly alone! No one knows me. Who I am, who I was. And my own father didn't even know I existed! How can everything be all right?" "It wasn't his fault. Or your mothers. But you will find out in due course what happened to you. But right now, this is too much for you to take. This is enough for you to know for now." And with that, Merriman wrapped his huge cloak around Grace and they disappeared. . .  
  
. . . A large black crow passed overhead. The sun glistened magically surrounded by a perfect blue sky, its light rays casting yellow streaks on the golden sand. The waves splashed almost furiously onto the sand, beckoning them to dive in and get pulled away into a watery abyss, on account of the strong current. She stared at the gleaming water for a while, and watched calmly as the waves gradually became placid. It was so unreal. How could a child possibly do such things at such an early age? When would she get the answers she was hoping for? Why was everything in the world concerned with the High magic so complicated. . . and magic? What was magic? Her mind thought of wizards and wands automatically. But this magic. . . this magic seamed to be the essence of the old ones' souls'. It came from within them. No wand necessary. All you needed was knowledge and understanding to use this great gift. But what if you didn't understand them at all? What if your magic became wild, and you no longer held the power to tame it, to be used for good, and not for evil? What if she lost all control over her body, and fell under the control of-  
  
Stop Grace. Stop thinking the worst of everything. I realise this is a terrible time for you, but if you keep thinking like that, like you're sick of your life, and wish everything to be over, the dark will find it easier to manipulate your mind. Everything that has happened to you is not a curse, Grace. It's not. I will help you get through this. I am your friend, Grace. Trust me.  
  
She stayed silent for a while. Merriman glanced down at her. So old, yet so familiar in a sense. . . she was like an old one in some ways. For every old one was friends with everyone else. They all held the same knowledge, the same understanding. . . they were all equal. Age and time didn't mean anything to an old one. They lived forever. They could be 50, and another 15, but they would still get a long. It was their way. Such peaceful and good-natured people. She nodded. She could do this. With the help of the old ones and Merriman's strength, she could. . . she knew she could. She sighed happily. This was the best day she had had since. . . She shook her head. She wouldn't think about that now, in such a perfect and tranquil place. "Such a beautiful sunset. Almost magical. . . Where are we now?" "By the river Dyfi. In Wales."  
  
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So??? Ah come on, was it really THAT bad? Please review??? Please? Please don't be harsh, I tried to make it. . . good, honest I tried. . . But yeah. . . anyway. . . Byebye. Thanks for reading. . . 


	2. Could she be involved with the High Magi...

Will began panting as he reached the top of the hill with Bran walking silently behind him.  
  
He glanced generally in front of him, trying to take in everything of the beautiful green landscape, and noticed someone by something on the ground. The print. He put his hand out suddenly to stop Bran from walking any further, and signalled for him to walk over to an area surrounded by trees.  
  
  
  
Simon signalled the same thing in case Jane and Barney hadn't seen.  
  
"Why aren't we going to carn March Arthur?" Asked Barney curiously, still panting from walking for such a long time.  
  
Will pointed over to a young girl, with shoulder length dark brown hair full of volume, but not bushy, who was crouched down by a print in the ground. Her shoulders were raising and falling un-evenly as though she was crying.  
  
"We are here. That girl is crouched down by the print. what could she be doing there?"  
  
Simon just stood there beside Will, waiting patiently for the girl to go. 'Why does he always make everything seem so important?' He thought, the girl was probably going to go any second, no point in being paranoid or anything about it. yeah, and everyone though Will was like the best person in the world, all fearless and 'oh look at me, I'm god, I can do anything.' He sighed.  
  
"I. perhaps she has been waiting for us." Said Will Suddenly. He didn't know why exactly they should. but why on earth would there be a girl sitting by the print, and crying? He attempted to get inside her mind. Probably just a waste of energy- which would probably bring the Dark closer to him. but hey, it would only be brief, no worries.  
  
"How can you tell, Old One?" Whispered Bran next to his ear.  
  
Will's eyes suddenly widened.  
  
"Well, I'm trying to. to, well, get inside her mind. basically, but. But I can't seem to. I don't know what to make of her. just like I didn't know what to make of you. She can't be human. But she's not an Old One, part of the light, or the dark either. Maybe we should go and greet her."  
  
Bran considered their options briefly. He felt almost obliged to trust Will now matter what. He owed it to him, for all the times he had stuck by Bran in his bad times. Even when he had treated him so badly when Cafall had died; Will had understood. he always understood. But also. he knew that he could trust him. He was so comfortable when he was around Will. There was no need for small talk. They only talked when it was necessary- that was just fine for Bran. He didn't like people that talked constantly just to fill in silences. That was one of the good things about Will. When you weren't talking to him, the silence's which followed for never uncomfortable and awkward. Simple.  
  
"Well, I trust you Will. If you're sure."  
  
Will nodded. It was nice of Bran to say that to him. The son of King Arthur. he trusted him. it was. a nice feeling to play such a big part in the course of history. But he had never felt so important until now. Before, it was just him, looking out for himself, no one else. He always was prepared to take the consequences for his actions. but now. He couldn't be so. so care free. Whatever got him into trouble would get Bran into trouble. He had to guide Bran. He knew he had to. And he trusted Will. it was great!  
  
"Come on." He said loud enough so that everyone else could hear. "Let's go to meat her."  
  
Jane and Barney looked at him quizzically. And remained where they were.  
  
Will began walking towards her regardless of what they thought. Thankfully they began following him, well, following Simon's lead. Oh well. he would just have to gain their trust in due coarse.  
  
She seemed to have noticed their arrival without even looking at them, and even before they were anywhere near her, she began wiping away her tears as though she didn't want them to find out her weakness. Or perhaps something else. something..  
  
"Hello." Will greeted her.  
  
She didn't look up.  
  
"I've been waiting for you all." She replied in a hoarse voice. If she had looked at him just then, she would haven given away that she had just been crying. Not that her voice hadn't.  
  
No one replied, all waiting for her to make the first move.  
  
Finally she glanced up at will with the most beautiful dark brown eyes Will had ever seen. He looked away. He felt entranced by her. glare almost, if he looked for longer he felt like he would do something stupid. Almost like he would be hypnotised by her.  
  
She stood up and straightened her denim skirt.  
  
So. this is Will. charming I guess. she shook her head lightly, and held out her hand.  
  
"Hello, Will Stanton. My name is Grace, Grace Manning."  
  
He shook her hand briefly. Not even asking how on earth she knew his name.  
  
She smiled.  
  
He didn't even glance at her. Just kept his eyes on everything else. as long as it wasn't on her. He got distracted too easily.  
  
"I might as well get right down to it. You have your reasons of course for not trusting me. Just like you did not trust Bran."  
  
"I've just met you, it's only natural. but how-"  
  
"My friend Merriman."  
  
Friend?  
  
"Yes, Will Stanton, friend."  
  
He looked at her in shock for a few seconds.  
  
You can read my mind? But yours. a barrier.  
  
She nodded.  
  
But, you're not an Old O ne.  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"You have yet to find out what I am, Old One. And I don't have long to speak to you all. I will come to see you again. soon."  
  
She glanced at the other four members of the six.  
  
"Barney, Jane and Simon Drew. you are the finders of the grail. Jane, the messenger, the only one to talk to the fair Lady..."  
  
She paused for a moment, clearly thinking deeply, before looking at Bran right in the eye. How she could see through his dark glasses Will could not comprehend. But he would never be able to understand unless she told him her secrets. He did not hold the power to overcome the barrier of her mind. She was so unbelievably strong.  
  
"Bran. Bran Davies." She said with such compassion and emotion in her voice, that Will could not resist the temptation to look into her large dark orbs once more. To gain an understanding of her. Why on earth she was so secretive, and why she acted. so, ever so strangely to Bran. She was so. mature. and grown-up. Like and Old One, but she had just said that she wasn't an Old One- what on earth was going on?  
  
Bran did not reply.  
  
She sighed ruefully.  
  
Will tried even harder to get inside her mind. What on earth was she thinking? He had to know. If he didn't, then how would he ever know how to judge her?  
  
  
  
  
  
A waste of energy my friend. There's no use; you can not get into my mind.  
  
  
  
  
  
She paused. Looking at Will amiably. He could tell she meant no harm, and that for some reason she could never let him see the things going on inside her head. he understood now. The smile. the smile explained everything. She was so transparent, yet all her feelings- the feelings she was showing them were so artificial. But he could see she was only doing it to. what? Protect herself? From what? What was she hiding? What business had she come to do? Her quest maybe? His trail of thought was cut off suddenly by her sweet voice again.  
  
She abruptly began reciting the words of the ancient manuscript, which they had torn to shreds. How?  
  
  
  
  
  
Fire on the mountain shall find the harp of gold  
  
Played to wake the sleepers, oldest of the old;  
  
Power from the greenwitch, lost beneath the sea;  
  
All shall find the light at last, silver on a tree  
  
  
  
  
  
Now do you believe me Old One? Yes, isn't it weird that both Bran and I are using the same means to get you to trust us. I could very well have been watching you for some time now, listening to the verses every time you recited them, and memorising them. But you must choose if you trust me or not. Because at the moment, that's all that matters. If you do not. then I would understand, and not much would be lost as I am not one of the six.  
  
  
  
  
  
I. I have no idea.you're not of the dark, but you're not of the light either. I feel a great power in you, that of Bran's, but still something different. You don't seem to be human, or like any other creature I have ever encountered on this earth. What are you, Grace? Why can I now get into your mind?  
  
  
  
  
  
There was no reply. The dazed look on both of their faces vanished, and instead they just stood there staring at each other shortly.  
  
Will nodded slowly.  
  
She walked over to him, and titled her head so she was now staring at the ground in respect.  
  
Everyone was silent.  
  
She looked up at Will.  
  
"I thank you Will Stanton for your consent to let me help you, and your trust, though you don't even know what I am. And I will always be of service to you and your friends. I promise. I will help you all as much as I can. I have not as much knowledge as you do my friend, Will. But I have experience. Experience which could help you at the worst of times. Perhaps."  
  
Will laid his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"No need. I knew you weren't of the dark from the moment I saw you. There's no need for this." He said soothingly.  
  
Simon began to get impatient. What was up with the 'I'm so almighty' talk? All sophisticated. "What is going on here? Tell us! I'm sick of always being in left in the dark about everything. I mean, not literally, but. Argh! And then a moment ago, you two just seemed to have this dazed look on your faces. just like you were ignoring us or something!" He shook his head furiously.  
  
"You should learn to be more patient. There was no need to get angry for no reason. Grace and Will were simply speaking to each other. Telepathically of course."  
  
Simon looked slightly embarrassed, but didn't want to show this, and said angrily, "Whatever."  
  
  
  
  
  
I am sorry for this. I didn't mean to make everyone argue. but you must understand, they must have no idea of who or what I am. even if somehow you find out.  
  
  
  
  
  
It's okay, I'll keep your secret. But you still haven't told me half of what is in your mind at all.  
  
  
  
  
  
She looked at him sombrely.  
  
  
  
  
  
Perhaps tonight? If you're willing.  
  
  
  
  
  
Of. course.  
  
  
  
  
  
How could he resist the temptation to see her beautiful face again?  
  
Oh dear God, what I'm I thinking?  
  
  
  
  
  
"There they go again." Simon sighed, maybe we should just get going further up the hill or something-"  
  
"I'm terribly sorry for holding all of you up. And it was a pleasure to meet all of you. good-bye Jane, Barney and Simon." Looking at each of them in turn. "I hope I will see you again sometime. I shall be back soon, perhaps we can have a proper meeting then. But for now, I have to go." Grace interrupted.  
  
"It was nice to meet you too, Grace. But perhaps next time you could really tell us who you are." Said Jane. She didn't want to sound rude, but she was still in a bad mood, she couldn't be bothered to talk about all the little things. She might just as well get to the point.  
  
Grace chose to ignore this comment, there was no time to waste of petty arguments.  
  
"Well, good-bye friends." She glanced one more time over to Bran, and began walking back down the hill.  
  
Simon, Jane and Barney started to make their way further up the hill, as Bran and Will watched Grace depart.  
  
Will began turning around to leave to, when something glinting in the sunlight caught his eye on Grace's slender fingers. He froze.  
  
"What is it?" Asked Bran.  
  
"The. the ring on her finger. Did you see it?"  
  
"No. I didn't even realise she was wearing a ring. Why?"  
  
Will considered briefly whether or not he should tell him.  
  
"The ring. it looks identical to the one of the Lady's."  
  
"You're master's'?"  
  
Will turned around, and he and Bran walked back silently, both caught it their own trail of thought. But both were thinking along the same lines. Could Grace be involved in the High magic?  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
"So, do you care to tell us what on earth that was all about? It seems as though everything's been sorted now that you and her have become such good friends-"  
  
"We're not even friends. I have yet to judge that Simon. Be patient. She does not seem to mean us any harm, really." Interrupted Will.  
  
"But why can't we ALL know about her? Why is it that it's always only you who knows about everything, and you who always organises everything, and you who plans our every move? The rest of us didn't even get a proper chance to talk to her." Asked Simon angrily.  
  
Will sighed and spun around. There was no way to reply to that without intimidating Simon, which he had to intention to do- Jane would get mad, and he didn't particularly want to be on bad terms with any of the Drews, or Merriman.  
  
He glanced up at night sky. Observing one by one all the stars and the constellations- remembering all he had learned from the book of Gamarye.  
  
"Answer me Will! Why is it that you're always in charge of everything? I'm 15 Will, older than you, and yet I have to 'obey your every command', what am I, a robot?"  
  
Will shook his had sadly.  
  
"Simon, please, this isn't a good time to discuss this. I must go and meet up with Grace. I must go and speak to her, she said that she would help us on our quest, we are not friends, merely colleagues you could say. You would be wise not the hate her, for she is powerful, that much is clear, don't hate her, I know we can trust her."  
  
Before he could finish Merriman suddenly appeared behind them.  
  
"Gummery!" Cried Simon in shock.  
  
"Hello Simon," He glanced over at Will kindly. "Will, don't you have an appointment with someone that you shouldn't miss?" He asked quizzically.  
  
Will nodded.  
  
  
  
  
  
I know you have questions about Grace, Old One, but you must trust her, believe me, you need her in this. Don't push away her help. I shall speak to Simon, don't worry about that.  
  
  
  
  
  
Thank you Merriman. I shall go right away.  
  
  
  
  
  
Will nodded one more time and without another word, left.  
  
Merriman turned to Simon.  
  
"My child, why do you despise Will so much?" He asked kindly, trying not to offend him in anyway.  
  
Simon sighed.  
  
"Gummery, I know you and Will are part of some. some group thing, and I also know that you two can't be human. but I'm sick of always following his orders. Shouldn't we be allowed to make up our own minds? Where as if he makes a mistake along the way, then we would go down with him. But no-one will ever think of blaming the 'all mighty' Will, would they?"  
  
"Wait. Please, listen. In deed yes, we are different, we have more knowledge than all of you put together and we have wisdom. And I'm not saying this to try and intimidate you, not at all. I'm saying this because I want you to trust him Simon, please. I want you to not question everything he does. He's being so kind to you all, and all you can do is shout at him, and criticise him. Please, give him a chance, he is trying to help you, Barney and Jane. He's trying so hard to make everything right, he's trying to find his own identity, while still trying to fit in. Don't be so harsh on him."  
  
Simon remained silent. How degrading. So everyone was in fact taking sides with Will. Well, that was fine with him. He would have to pretend, Gummery seemed to know everything that had passed between him and Will. he had to be careful. Very careful. It was obvious from the beginning that no-one would agree with him anyway.  
  
"Okay Great-uncle Merry. Have it your way. I will try, honest I'll try, but I'm still not happy about all of this."  
  
"That's my boy." He went over to Simon and hugged him briefly. "No off to bed, it's already got so late."  
  
"Ok. and Gummery?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"I know you heard us talking, and I don't hate Grace, I barely know her, I hate Will."  
  
And with that stormed off to his bedroom.  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
This was a kinda sucky chapter, yes? None of you expected them to meet like that? Right? Disappointing? Hehe. I know, I know, that was a totally rubbish way to make them meet, but I haven't had much time to change it as I wanted to, so I had to be content with this version. Anyway, please review! Thanks! 


	3. The wind of darkness

Simon stormed up to his room. Of course. It was so obvious everyone would take sides with Will.  
  
He slammed his door shut, so hard that it was a miracle that it didn't come off its hinges. And only to be opened again by. . . Jane. Oh how great. Just another mindless drone to add to the increasing number of people who took sides with Will.  
  
"Simon? What on earth is the matter? Was Will downstairs a minute ago? If he was, it's a shame he didn't come to say hi-"  
  
"Look, please, stop talking for just a second. Breathe woman." He replied rudely.  
  
Jane's brow knitted into a frown. "What on earth has got into you Simon? Perhaps I should just go, I would rather speak to Will than listen to you throw insults at me." She said angrily.  
  
"No- look, wait." He sighed. "I'm sorry. And Will's gone- to meet with Grace-"  
  
"Grace? What? That girl we met at Carn March Arthur? - Well, it wasn't pretty much a meeting, she just appeared out of no-where, said hi, practically told us to trust her, brainwashed Will into trusting her- and left."  
  
Simon smiled, forgetting his present troubles. "Do I hear a hint of jealousy in the young ladies voice?" He laughed.  
  
Jane looked as though she could just pick him up and throw him out of the window. "What are you talking about? That's ridiculous! What are you suggesting?"  
  
"Nothing. Nothing at all. Just surprised that you would feel so strongly about him going to meet with Grace."  
  
Jane sighed. "Whatever Simon. I'm hoping this is just a phase. I honestly don't think I can take much more of your wise cracks. I just wanted to know why you were so stressed out a minute ago."  
  
Simons grin vanished. "Ah no reason. . . just some stuff. . ." It was best to be as vague as possible- no matter what he said, he was sure she would try to defend Will.  
  
"Stuff? Yeah right! I haven't seen you so mad. . . well. . . so mad since the meeting and you got angry that Will wouldn't tell us what was going on!"  
  
"Fine, you want to know what's my problem? WILL!" He hollered. "WILL IS MY BLOODY PROBLEM!"  
  
Jane walked over to him and put her arm around him for comfort. "Hey, relax. What has Will done this time?" She asked sarcastically.  
  
"Oh for goodness sake Jane! Don't talk to me like that! So sarcastically. I know how you feel about him. And how he feels about you, and us. And how he just wants to control everything because that's the way he is! I hate him so much!"  
  
Jane released him from her grasp. "Well. . . this, I wasn't expecting. But, we're such good friends with him! Why on earth. . . there's really not that much of a reason for you to hate him! Besides, we need his help to defeat the Dark."  
  
"YES! Yes there is!"  
  
"Then what? What on EARTH could he have done to make you hate him?"  
  
"Can't you see?"  
  
"See what, Simon? Stop talking in riddles for goodness sake!"  
  
He pushed her against the wall, his face going red with fury.  
  
"HE'S TAKING YOU AWAY FROM US! FROM THE FAMILY!"  
  
Jane remained silent, and wiggled away from him.  
  
"That's just. . . ridiculous, Simon."  
  
"Why? Why is it ridiculous? Remember last week, when we asked you if you wanted to come to the cinema with Barney and I, and you said you were going out with Will? Or about the time when we had all sat down playing a board game with father because he hadn't gone to work that day, and you and Will went outside and left us and didn't return until 9pm? He's not the angel he appears to be Jane. I have no idea what poison he's been feeding you, but it's surely turning you away from the family. This could brake the bond of the six if we all start to hate each other. Then there'd be no way to beat the Dark- even we wouldn't be powerful enough without the love we have, or had shall we say, for each other."  
  
Jane looked as though she was about to say something, but thought better of it, and turned away from him, and left his room. There was no point in sinking down to his level.  
  
Simon sighed, and flung himself onto his bed. Great. Another person who hated him. At this rate, the whole house would be inhabited by Will lovers.  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
Grace sat alone on this cliff overlooking the ocean where she was supposed to meet Will. Was this all a bad idea? Should she really tell him everything? Or should she miss out all the parts about The Lady? After all, if the Dark overheard her talking, then perhaps they would use her as a means to get to The Lady and hurt her. She sighed. She couldn't think about her now. It was too. . . too soon. . . raw, and painful.  
  
Suddenly she sat upright in attention. A noise. Scurrying feet: - Will?  
  
"You came."  
  
He nodded. "Hello." He whispered nervously. Ah. another chance to mentally beat himself up. Where has your loyalty for Jane gone?! Things couldn't go on like this. He had just met her yesterday!  
  
"Um. . . no-one suspects. . . anything of me, right? They don't think I'm one of the Dark? She asked suspending Will's present worries.  
  
"No- no, of course not. They barely know you. Besides they're all too busy being angry at me to even worry about if you're an enemy or not." He replied ruefully. Was the way he acted to Simon wrong? But no. If Simon hated him, there was nothing anyone could do to change that. He was too head strong. And he couldn't have just said to Simon that he had much more knowledge and wisdom than he did- that would have just made him angrier. If that was even possible.  
  
"Oh! Why would they be angry at you- or is it because of me? I knew I would just make everything all worse I-"  
  
"No! No, it's not you. . . it's not like anyone could ever. . . I mean. . ." Oh come on, you're blushing like a beetroot here, thank god it's dark. "No, you're not the reason they hate me." Way to go. Smooth.  
  
"Oh, okay. That's. . . well, thank God. I would hate to put you in difficult circumstances. I always got people in trouble back when I had friends. . . I didn't mean to. . . I was just, I guess, a natural child of mischief." She grinned, and let out a quiet laugh. "Oh how I wish everything was as simple as it was before. . . before all this." She sighed. "The truth is such a burden. It's something I never wanted to hear. But my own curiosity got me into all this. . . She paused, and finally glanced over at him. "I'm sorry! I'm not making much sense to you at all am I?"  
  
How could she be so trusting to someone she hadn't even spoken to before yesterday? As though she had known him forever. But he shook his head as if to say that it didn't matter nevertheless. He didn't mind! "It doesn't matter. I came hear to listen to you after all didn't I?"  
  
She nodded, and he was sure he could see her blushing under the light of the moon too.  
  
"Are you sure that it was your curiosity? That it wasn't your destiny?" He suddenly asked.  
  
She laughed. "Destiny? Damn destiny. Damn fate. Destiny means that we don't make our own choices. It means that we are not really free to think as we want, act as we see right. Destiny means. . . that whatever we do will lead to the same thing. That we can't change anything in life. That we can't change our mistakes for the better. That everything we do, every way we act, every way we think, will lead to the same thing. What if I chose to rebel against the Light- and turn to the Dark side? What would happen to my destiny?" She finished off, but after a few seconds added as an after- thought, " Perhaps if it wasn't for destiny though, I wouldn't be here right now. . . with you."  
  
Oh, thank God for destiny, he suddenly thought. I thank you God for bringing her to me. He smiled. He had once more turned into the mere child he was, taking over all his rational thoughts as an Old One. He had to think about this logically, this thing, well, whatever it was that he thought was happening between them, just couldn't possibly happen. So, operation be nasty was going to have to go under way. But not too horrible.  
  
"Oh- I just wanted to ask you something. Why are you really here? It's just that. . . well. . . our destinies have been laid out in front of use, and there was never a 7th person. I-" He stopped, as Grace's head abruptly turned away from him. Yeah, way to go, tell her to get lost and leave all of us alone. That's such a subtle approach!  
  
So, that's what she'd always be, and outsider. Some things never changed did they? The High Magic was wrong. She wasn't supposed to be here. Where she wasn't wanted. Where everyone was pushing away the help she offered. They would just shut her out!  
  
No, no we wouldn't. I never would.  
  
Oh for God's sake. Where on earth has the commitment you made to yourself a few seconds ago gone? You have a will of mercury Will. Unbelievable.  
  
Grace however almost flew half a metre into the air at hearing a voice in her head. She immediately put back the defence she had in her mind.  
  
So hard was the barrier, and had come so swiftly, Will moaned in pain and threw his hands to his head to massage his temples.  
  
She suddenly realised what had happened. "Oh my God, Will! I am so sorry!" She crawled over to him and placed her hands on her shoulders, trying to get him to look at her. "I didn't realise it was you and, and I was shocked! Are you okay?" She stuttered.  
  
Will meanwhile was trying to get rid of the dull ringing in his ears, and when he lifted his head, found himself staring into Grace's beautiful eyes. He was sure his heart had just skipped a beat.  
  
Nope- this commitment thing just wasn't going to work. He was a person attracted to this wonderful girl. A person. He was only human. Grace was so honest and innocent, it was hard to imagine that anyone would ever want to hurt such an amazing creature. But again, his Old half took over his childish thoughts with more rational thoughts. Love, such a delusion. There wasn't such a thing, was there? Just the thought that someone actually cared enough to die for you. But there would never be such a person, because everyone looked out for themselves first. That was what fear was for; for our own survival. For no one else's. No one really cared about anyone else. It was just the illusion that they would do anything for you, to cross the limits of friendship and earn your love. But they wouldn't. No one did that! No one cared about anyone else, as long as that person served them a purpose, everyone wanted something back from the things that they did for someone else. Selfish. It was for their own benefit really. Knowing that they did something good for someone else, and then expecting the other person to love them, therefore that person would never be alone because they had earned the love and friendship of someone they had helped. They had escaped the one thing they had feared most. Being alone. Dying alone. But that didn't account for Will. He wouldn't die, therefore he didn't need a companion. He was fine being a loner. Right? There was no need for Grace to be his distraction. He didn't need her! Ah, sorry to brake your fantasy Old One, but um. . . what about Jane? He shook his head. Damnit! Why were girls always so complicated?  
  
"No problem. I'm sorry for scaring you! I just. . . I just wanted to comfort you. . . He said quietly before he could stop himself- okay, act untrustworthy, maybe she'll back off then, "and you had just let your guard down, and I thought there was something wrong because you went silent-"  
  
Ah come on, don't look at me with that look in your eyes! He thought to himself.  
  
"No, no, it's fine. Honestly. I just don't. . . I'm just never so lax I guess. . . I was just startled."  
  
They remained silent for a while just gazing at each other. Not the reply he was expecting.  
  
"Well," Will said, finally braking the silence and not trusting himself to gaze at her for another second without bending over closer to her and kissing her lips which had turned blue from the cold. "You look like you're freezing. I'm so stupid not to have realised- here, have this." He clumsily took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders before she could protest. You are a fool Will Stanton.  
  
"But- but you'll get cold! Don't be daft! You'll catch a cold or something!"  
  
"Sssh, just relax. It's a beautiful night." He laughed suddenly, as he glanced up into the dark sky. Well, it didn't look like he could actually be horrible to her.  
  
"I just wanted to say. . . thank you. . . and I appreciate all this. . . a lot. Thanks for listening to me. I- I haven't had anyone to talk to for such a long time."  
  
"It's okay. My pleasure." He interrupted as he moved closer to her and put his arm around her and let her rest her head on his shoulder. Just a friendly gesture. Yeah, just keep telling yourself that you idiot.  
  
He sighed happily.  
  
"Grace. I think. there's something I've been meaning to say. Grace?" He glanced down at her face, now so peaceful- and so asleep. He groaned. Well. . . it was nice while it lasted.  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
"You're sure this will work?"  
  
"Well. . . of course, there's no reason why it shouldn't. This is the only way to get to Grace. There would be almost no way to capture Will or the Pendragon anyway- so if we kidnapped the mortal girl then Will would go after her, and Grace will follow- no doubt."  
  
"This had better work. We're already getting behind. If this doesn't go smoothly, then we won't have much of a chance to. . . well. . . win in the end. We can not beat the Light without this girl. I hate to admit that we're not strong enough, what with success of the sign-seeker and now that the Grail is no longer in our possession, she is our only hope."  
  
"I understand my Lord. It will work. I assure you."  
  
He nodded. "Now leave. You have a lot of work to do. Begin right away."  
  
The man in the black cloak left swiftly, pondering on how on earth he could get to Jane Drew's house in the most discreet way. It's important Grace didn't track him. Grace.  
  
"Ah, my child. I will be with you once more. I can not wait till we meet again." He sighed softly.  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hey. Hey! Grace, wake up."  
  
"Argh."  
  
She shivered.  
  
"Hey Grace, if we don't move, you're going to get ill. You look like you're going to die from cold."  
  
"Will? Oh dear. What happened?"  
  
He laughed softly. "You fell asleep, we've been here for an hour already, but it was getting really cold, and I thought it best that you should go home and sit by the fire until you de-frost."  
  
"Oh. . . yes, it is cold isn't it?" She laughed nervously. "I wonder why. . . it's quite weird actually for it to be so cold. It's not. . . usually. I hope nothing's wrong." She asked nervously. The night felt. . . Dark. Evil. She was sure she could here people cackling in the night, mocking them. Just like in her dream. . . Jane. . . why would she dream about Jane? She could barely remember the dream anyway- she was probably mistaken.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Merriman would take care of everything, and if something was really wrong, he would have found us by now and told us the. . . um. . . good news. Come on." He stood up and held out his arms so that Grace could balance herself.  
  
"Thanks. I'm stiff all over. I had no idea how tired I was. I haven't been to sleep in two days!"  
  
Suddenly a strong gust of wind blew in the opposite direction, pushing Grace back hard, she could barely stand up properly after just waking up anyway, and fell onto the rocks that surrounded the cliff.  
  
"Argh!" She moaned as she tried to lift up her arm. Blood was visible gushing out of a wound that was made by a sharp piece of rock. "What's happening? Something's wrong!"  
  
And just as swiftly as it began, it ended. Will ran over to her and helped her up, examining her arm gently. "That's a nasty cut you have there!" He rummaged in his pocket for a few seconds, and finally pulled out a tissue. "Here, hold this against it, it looks pretty bad. You should get that checked out at a hospital or something."  
  
"Huh? Oh, sorry. Just wondering what on earth that. that gust of wind was. It's awfully strange. It's almost as though. . . no. . . no of course not, it couldn't be!"  
  
"Be what?"  
  
"Nothing. I'm just being paranoid. Don't worry about it." She cast a glance down at her wound to avoid eye contact.  
  
"Um. . . okay. Let's head back, you're not well, we shouldn't have stayed out here for so long."  
  
They walked back in silence for fifteen minutes, when Will finally spoke. It had been bugging him for the whole day why on earth Grace spoke about Bran the way she did- and the only thing that came to his mind was that Grace had to be related to him. It was so obvious. He got the same feeling when he met Grace like he did when he first met Bran, and also, there was sort of a majestic air about both of them. Like the formal but polite way in which they acted around people. The way they spoke to people they didn't know. And most importantly, their confidence in themselves. It would at least take his mind of how kind and beautiful she was for at least second.  
  
"Grace?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I was just wondering. . . and I don't mean to offend you by asking you this. . . but are you related to Bran by any chance?" He finally burst out.  
  
Grace turned tense, and a dark look came over her. Her eyes glazed over- she looked as though she would burst out crying any second.  
  
"Bran?!" She exclaimed, trying to keep her voice steady. She took in a deep breath and abruptly halted and turned so that she was facing the moon. "Bran. ah, innocent Bran. not aware of all the pain this cruel world could inflict upon him. the death of Cafall was only the beginning of his sorrow."  
  
And with that, she cast a last apologetic glance back at Will, whispered a few words, and disappeared. And straight after her departure, Merriman appeared. So that was it. Just some sophisticated incomprehensible words, and she was gone? This day just couldn't get any worse.  
  
"Ah! Hello Will!" He surveyed his surroundings briefly. "Oh, but where is Grace?"  
  
"I. . . I have no idea. We were talking, and then she just disappeared." He said sombrely. It was a shame she had to leave so soon. He had only talked to her two times, and he was already beginning to like her. Beginning. Ha! Don't fool yourself. You've got a crush on her you fool! Start behaving more like an Old One, and not like a moronic little boy. Besides, you're too immature for her!  
  
"Oh dear. . . did you mention Bran by any chance?" He asked, fully aware that all the things that Grace was feeling was so raw, and she couldn't control the strong surge of emotions inside her, she was having a nervous breakdown. She just couldn't cope on her own- and yet, she didn't want to show anyone her weakness. That's why she had left. So that Will wouldn't see her crying.  
  
"Yes, just now, why?"  
  
Merriman sighed.  
  
"Come, give me your hand. We're going to find her. . . evil people are about tonight, and she shouldn't be out on her own. . . and perhaps I can help her. . ."  
  
And with a swish of Merrimans cloak, they disappeared as Grace had done moments earlier.  
  
  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Jane shivered as she bolted upright in her bed. A nightmare. Such a bad nightmare- she barely even remember what she had been dreaming. But it was weird. Dark shapes and men in black cloaks. That's all she could remember. She dragged herself out of bed so she could splash her face with some cold water when she stopped dead in her tracks. The window was open. She had closed it before she had gone to bed though. Suddenly a strong gust of wind entered her room, blowing everything in her room about, all the pieces of paper on her desk got thrown around the room, and a pen came flying in her direction.  
  
She ducked as she held up her arms and turned her face sideways, trying to fight against the wind to the window so she could close it when-  
  
"Ah! Jane! You're awake!" Whispered a man with a black cloak, as climbed in through the window.  
  
Jane took a step back, still dreary from her dream. He laughed menacingly, mocking her, threatening her to make a move on him. The cackle pierced through Jane like an echo repeatedly resounding in an empty room. A cold feeling came over her and she found herself shivering uncontrollably, and screamed. A feeling of emptiness and forebodingness came over her. What was this man going to do to her? What was happening? Echoes. Echoes of her morose feelings.  
  
"Ah now, we can't have that. You'll wake everyone up!" He said in a false tone of angry-ness, as he walked across the room to where Jane stood, and clasped both of her hands pulling them stalwartly behind her, and turned her around so she was facing the window, and put his gloved hand over her mouth. Jane- still in the shock of everything, couldn't do anything to help herself. She was a defenceless little girl with no strength or will to fight against this man. She made a frail attempt to scratch the man's hand away from her mouth so that she could bite him, but she could already feel herself slipping away into unconsciousness. She tried to moan, no sound came out. She tried to make any sound of some kind, knock something over, that would be able to wake up her brother's next door- but she failed. She had already gone unconscious.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
AN: Was that more eventful for everyone? Or did you think that Will was too OOC? But it was fun writing Will so confused and. out of character! Hehe, I like the evil guy! The evil guy rules! Yay! Kill Jane! No? You guys don't want me to kill Jane? Hehe. . . nah, I didn't think so either. . .  
  
I've looked over this fic about four times for mistakes, but if you spot any, please feel free to point them out to me. . . I'm prone to making at least two mistakes in every chapter hehe. . . oh, and I'm sorry for the way the second chapter came out, and I realise how annoying it was that some parts were in italics and others weren't, but I honestly put them in, in the right places, but when I changed some of the formatting, the italics also just changed for some reason (I have a retarded computer). Anyway, please review!!!! ^-^ 


	4. The realm of Odin

"She's gone?" Merriman exclaimed- in a tone that showed that he was actually trying to be emotional, but not quite successful. No matter how hard he tried, he would never be able to express normal human emotions, the centuries of pain and suffering, and longing prevented that. Besides, Merriman, 'lose his cool?'  
  
"Yeah. We went up to her room at breakfast- she hadn't come down when she usually did, and we couldn't hear anything upstairs either." Said Simon unhappily. Perhaps it was his fault. Perhaps she wasn't kidnapped; perhaps she left because he had been annoying her so much.  
  
"Yeah. We went up to her room at breakfast- she hadn't come down when she usually did, and we couldn't hear anything upstairs either." Said Simon unhappily. Perhaps it was his fault. Perhaps she wasn't kidnapped; perhaps she left because he had been annoying her so much.  
  
Suddenly a voice came from behind him, as someone's hand rested on his shoulder.  
  
"Simon, it's not your fault."  
  
Simon turned around and gasped.  
  
"Grace! How. I mean, I didn't see you come over here."  
  
She grinned mischievously.  
  
"She's right Simon, don't think it's your fault, remember the state of the room? She would never have done that!" Reassured Barney.  
  
Merriman finally broke his conversation with Will, when she saw Grace materialise behind Simon. His mouth seemed to twitch into a smile, but as quickly as it had come, it went. She noticed him glancing at her, and walked towards them. Will glued his eyes to the ground.  
  
"I see you've mastered the use of your powers."  
  
"No- it still only works when I'm angry, but I know how to materialise again."  
  
Will took his eyes of the ground in wonder, and sneaked a gaze at Grace.  
  
"Merriman? What are you talking about?" Asked Will, not trusting himself to speak to Grace in case he said something to offend her again.  
  
"You will soon see." He replied enigmatically.  
  
He called Barney and Simon over.  
  
"Gummery, I think we should really go and-"  
  
"Find Jane- Yes, I agree. But I don't think it would be wise if we all went."  
  
"WHY NOT?" Cried Barney and Simon in unison. So Gummery did think of them as useless- they didn't have any cool powers like Will or Grace, did they after all?  
  
"Let me remind you that your parents are coming home tonight from the trip to Exeter."  
  
"Oh sh-"  
  
"Simon." Warned Barney.  
  
"Er. sorry Gummery."  
  
"I know you all want to come with me but."  
  
"It's okay, I'll stay. I'm not much use to anyone anyway." Said Barney gloomily.  
  
"No, Barney actually, I think Simon should stay too."  
  
"Ah! No-way! When Jane's in trouble? Let Will be the hero?"  
  
"Grace will be coming too, actually."  
  
"Grace?" Said Barney. Okay- so he wasn't allowed to go, but Grace could?  
  
"I know she's not as close to Jane as you all are- but she's going to be quite helpful to us. Especially with her new power."  
  
Everyone's eyes trailed over to a demure looking Grace.  
  
"Grace, would you care to demonstrate?"  
  
"I- I can't, you know that."  
  
"Yes. yes you can." Merriman cleared his throat.  
Bran despises you already- he thinks you're stupid, and it was pointless to find you in the first-  
"NO! STOP!" Screamed Grace out-loud- and as everyone cocked their heads around to where she had been standing before- to find that she had vanished.  
  
"Has it worked?" Whispered Grace from somewhere to the right of them.  
  
"Yes. It has." He replied quietly, savouring the expression of the other children at the 'sight' of Grace vanishing right before their eyes. "You said you could-"  
  
"Yeah, I will, give me a second."  
  
And a few moments later, Grace materialised out of thin air next to Merriman.  
* * *  
"So, how are we going to find her?" Asked Simon a while after they had got over the shock of Graces' new power.  
  
"She should be wearing the bracelet I have her a while ago. It happens to match the necklace that is in Will's possession at the moment."  
  
"Er. sorry. I just kind of knew about it. and how to use it. I couldn't think of any other way to find you."  
  
Merriman nodded and closed his eyes. Awkward moments passed by in which no- one spoke to each other, and at last, Merriman's eyes opened.  
  
"I can't say exactly where she is. but I have found an area near, I think where she is. But we must leave now."  
  
"Okay," Sighed Barney. "I'll be at home if anyone needs anything." He said downheartedly. He knew that he wouldn't be much help to anyone, but he still wished that he could have gone. "Good luck, all of you, and see you later." He nodded once at Simon and head back.  
  
"So, how are we going to get there?" Asked Simon, watching Barney's back gradually fade in the distance. "And is Bran coming?" He added as an after thought, but contiguously regretted it, when he saw Merriman, Will and Grace glare at him.  
  
After a rather long session of glaring, Merriman's expression softened, and his eyes twinkled. "I think actually, it would be wise if Bran came."  
  
Grace glowered in disbelief, her eyes blazing.  
  
He took a step towards her reassuringly. "Grace, you can't run away from him forever. We may need his help."  
  
Oh great. So Bran, just to add to the number of other 'stuff' that had been going on recently in her tragic and inextricable life, she had to deal with Bran coming with them. She couldn't deal with him! She had to be careful. and hide her emotions. But she couldn't do that! Why did he have to do this to her? Torture her. He knew how bad she felt when she was around him. How much she ached and longer to just go over to him and embrace him, and tell him how much he meant to her. But that wasn't possible. Of course not. So she had to fade away in the background, while he didn't even notice that she was standing there. Great, she so enjoyed being ignored by her own brother. But. she couldn't always hide her feelings, she couldn't always try to avoid him. Maybe if Merriman realised how much difficulty she had in trying to keep the truth from Bran, then he would let her tell him at least that she was his sister. maybe. Before she changed her mind again, she replied, " I understand." She sighed.  
  
Merriman nodded, "Wait here, I will get him, and we can leave as soon as I return."  
* * *  
Half an hour later, everyone was ready to set off to rescue Grace, with Bran, and a few seconds later, with the help of Merriman's help of course, they appeared at a clearing in front of a dense forest. Everyone was silent, awing the beauty of the trees and the way they seemed to glow as though a torch was lighting each one up inside, making the leaves look magical and glittery, still somehow shining in the sparse sunlight. Simon however, shuffled his feet impatiently, and crossed his arms, inspecting the vast grassland behind them. He could barely make out a few cottages like little specs of dust sitting on the horizon, the sky a exquisite shade of orange and pink, looking very much like a painted picture.  
  
Unexpectedly, Grace spoke in a hoarse whisper. "It's a labyrinth, the forest is merely a disguise. Anyway who goes in seldom comes out again."  
  
"Grace? What on earth." Began Merriman in bewilderment.  
  
"It's easy- you just sort of, half close your eyes, and it blurs, and all those trees disappear and all that's left is the walls of the labyrinth glowing red."  
  
"Old Ones, we don't have this power do we?" Asked Will cautiously, still not very sure of how he should behave around Grace.  
  
"I didn't think so."  
  
"Uh, okay, that new power is pretty cool and all, but how are we going to find our way?" Asked Bran determinedly, waiting in anticipation of what might happen once they were in there. No point in wasting time after all, there was no knowing what they might have been doing to Grace by now."  
  
"I will lead you. Though it may take some time." Grace replied, not realising that she had just replied to Bran.  
  
"We should make haste. I'm worried about what they may have been doing to Jane in our absence." Said Merriman.  
  
"Yes, we should. But beware, there may be obstacles."  
* * *  
About three hours had passed, the company were still slowing struggling through the Labyrinth, Grace stopping every now and again to see which direction she should take when there came a crossroad.  
  
"Hey, can we please take a break? My feet are killing me here." Moaned Simon, wincing as a twig dug into his ankle and snapped.  
  
Bran scowled over at Simon. "God, you're so lazy. Get fit Simon."  
  
"I'm sorry Mr. I'm-all-high-and-mighty-because-King-Arthur-is-my-dad."  
  
Bran froze in his tracks, and Merriman glanced almost nervously over at Grace to see how she would react to Simon insulting her brother, but she seemed unfazed and her face was blank, as though she was in her own little world, not paying attention to what was happening around her.  
  
Bran's face went red in anger. "You little son of a-"  
  
"Boys! That's enough, we're all tired, but we can't stop now, we have to find Jane."  
  
Simon didn't reply, though obviously annoyed that he couldn't reply to Bran's latest insult. He hated it when he didn't get the last word.  
  
"We're almost there." Whispered Grace amidst all the commotion.  
  
"Where?" Asked Simon wearily.  
  
"To the heart of the labyrinth."  
  
"Uh. just wondering, but aren't we trying to get out of the other side?" Asked Simon.  
  
"The other side?" She paused thinking for a moment before replying. " At the other side, there is-"  
  
But before she could finish her sentence, she collapsed onto the ground as though she had been shot.  
* * *  
-~*Grace Unconscious*~-  
Her eyes fluttered open. She groaned. Why was her head hurting so much?  
  
She slowly managed to lift herself off the ground. Where was everyone? Why was it so quiet?  
  
"Merriman? Simon?" She tried to shout, though not very successfully since she could barely open her mouth. Her lips felt cold as though she had been stuck in temperatures below zero degrees for the past few hours. "Wiiilll?"  
  
She heard faint footsteps behind her, and turned shakily around, dreading what she would-  
  
The Lady.  
  
"Grace, you shouldn't be here. It's dangerous."  
  
She remained silent, her face impassive, trying very hard not to let show the swelling of all the emotions inside of her.  
  
"Grace? Talk to me, are you alright?"  
  
"Why- why are you still talking to me? After all I did to you.?" She stuttered.  
  
"I understand!" The Lady took a step toward her, her eyes full of compassion and longing for Grace. "And I forgave you for it because I understood. it's okay Grace." But then she stopped in her tracks and her expression turned sombre once again, " but that still doesn't change the fact that you shouldn't be here."  
  
"But- we came to rescue your messenger." Said the Lady, her voice turning unusually cold.  
  
"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."  
  
"Yes- yes I do, we're here to save Jane, and we're not turning back."  
  
The Lady's eyes glossed over. "To save her, you must sacrifice something to the Other Side."  
  
"What? Anything!"  
  
"A life." Grace remained silent as The Lady continued. "At the Other Side."  
* * *  
Grace's eyes snapped open. ". there is death." She choked out.  
  
She gazed up into the worried face of Will, his arm acting as a cushion for her head and his free hand clasped tightly in hers.  
  
"Grace? Snap out of it!" Whispered Merriman from her left, slapping her hand gently. "Where is death?"  
  
She surveyed her surroundings briefly, watching the sun slowly set behind the clouds in a clearing through the trees- pink and dark purple reflecting off the tops of the trees. She let her eyelids fall heavily on her tired eyes. "On the other side of the forest, there is death."  
  
Everyone's faces changed from worried expressions to horror and bewilderment at her morbid words. "There must be a sacrifice made, only then can the other three enter the realm of Odin."  
* * *  
Did you like this chapter? Oh the depressing-ness, lol. Oh, and just for those who don't know, Odin is um, this death dude from Norse mythology. Anyway, yeah, please review! 


	5. “Prove yourself? You’re even dumber than...

Grace finally struggled up, letting her eyes adjust to an eerie darkness that seemed to have shadow the forest. She gazed slowly into the eyes of her companions. They wouldn't understand what she needed to do would they? They wouldn't understand the urgency of this. They wouldn't understand that this was what she was made to do, her fate perhaps, to help them find Jane. They, her father and The Lady had to realise that she wasn't some freak accidentally born to save the world from annihilation- because she wasn't. She may have a few powers, but she wasn't different from everybody else, they should stop expecting miracles from her.  
  
Finally Merriman met her gaze, seemingly reluctantly. "Grace, what has Odin have anything to do with the Light and Dark?"  
  
"He is helping the dark in their deeds." She paused seeing Simon's eyes watching her questioningly. "Simon, what's the matter?" He blushed.  
  
"Ah. yeah, but at the risk of sounding uneducated. and er, dumb, but who the hell is Odin?"  
  
Bran sighed and glared at Simon shrewdly. "Simon, Odin is one of the Norse Gods." He replied intimidatingly.  
  
"Oh, sure, Mr. Davies here knows everything right?" He spared a glare at Bran. "I'm sorry I can't reach up to your standards sir-"  
  
"Okay, boys come on, not here." Interrupted Merriman severely.  
  
Grace sighed deeply, and everyone's eyes fell back to the floor, not wanting to meet her intense stare. "I will lead you to the heart of the forest, and from there, I will go to the other side."  
  
"You- you can't!" Declared and outraged Will, his fists clenched tightly, and hung stiffly by his sides. His face and gone sheet white, and his eyes were growing wider by the second.  
  
Grace closed her eyes sadly. "Will, there is no other way. You have to save Jane, and the only way to do that is with a sacrifice. It's settled, I will go."  
  
"But there has to be-"  
  
"No! There is no other way!" She cried, distressed. Why were they trying to make it harder for her? " Look, I spoke to The Lady while I was unconscious, she knew that I would do this, and she tried to stop me. If she couldn't, what makes you think you can? And she knows as well that there has to be a sacrifice, there is no other way to get round this situation."  
  
The forest filled with silence, the only thing moving was Bran's eyes as he every now and again looked up in admiration to Grace- he didn't know her very well, but she was very noble and brave. They shouldn't try to stop her, should they? If she wanted to do this so much, there must be a reason behind it, she wouldn't just go and get herself killed for now reason. Something told him that the reason she was going to give up her life wasn't just to save Jane, she didn't even know her very well. they was something else behind it.  
  
Simon shook his head. He couldn't believe it. He actually didn't want Grace to go and get herself killed! Why? But. he had to stop her.  
  
"Grace, if there's anything-" Offered Simon.  
  
"No- I have to do this." She replied calmly.  
  
"WHY?"  
  
She stared deeply into Simon's eyes and replied in a whisper, "I have to prove myself."  
  
"Prove yourself? You're even dumber than me! Prove yourself by committing suicide? You can't possibly consider going along with this! WHO on earth are you trying to prove yourself to?" He asked angrily.  
  
"My father, The Lady, to show them I am only human. I'm not the most." She paused and sighed. "To show them I'm not who everyone thinks I am. I am not immortal, and I don't have the answers to everyone's problems. I die like everyone else. And there is no other choice."  
  
"But there is! No! You can't-" But before Will could finish what he was saying, she turned her back on them and began walking away from them, and silently glanced behind her to see if they were following, and finally made the long journey to the centre of the labyrinth.  
* * *  
Forty-five minutes later, they arrived at a circular clearing in the tress. "We're here." She announced as she walked slowly to a tree stump and picked up a small blue diamond shaped crystal into her hands. "When this crystal begins to glow blue, then you have to all touch it and you will be transported to where Jane is. If however it begins to glow red, it means that the sacrifice wasn't enough, and that there's something wrong, don't touch it, for it could possibly transport you to another time, another place, another dimension. And we're hoping that doesn't happen." She felt something catch in her throat and continued quietly. "Or all our efforts will have gone to waste."  
  
"So what do we do if it glows red?" Asked Bran, undismayed by the fact that Grace was going to her death any time now.  
  
"You have to get as far as you can from here. When the crystal begins to glow red, the people on the other side will also be able to get to this dimension, they can also actually get here when the crystal glows blue, but since you'll be travelling, and that this crystal can be only used by one company, and only once, they won't be able to get through."  
  
Bran nodded.  
  
"Grace are you sure you want to do this?" Asked Merriman, his worried eyes travelling nervously around her face.  
  
"Yes, I have to, and I must go now."  
  
Merriman nodded, and turned away. There was nothing he could do. There was something behind her intentions.  
  
"Grace. I can't believe you're doing this." Exclaimed Will suddenly, his eyes downward cast.  
  
"Will. I- I'm sorry. I truly am. but, I have to."  
  
He nodded and turned his back on her, afraid that he may show a sign of emotional weakness in-front of all these people, well, mostly because Bran was there.  
  
"Well. I'm. off. Goodbye everyone. Bran." She glanced over at Bran lovingly, unable to contain her feelings anymore, and got a brief nod back as a reply. She walked over to Simon, and hugged him. "It was nice to see you Simon, say goodbye to Barney and Jane for me."  
  
He nodded. "I'll let Jane know how you saved her life. Please, be careful." He added. "If there's anyway. please come back." He said pleadingly, his eyes sparkling.  
  
She nodded and smiled. "Thank you." She whispered.  
  
She walked over to Will and Merriman. "Will- I'm so sorry. But knowing you. even for a brief time, was great." She trudged over to him and hugged him tightly, as he hugged back equally as tightly and buried his face in her hair.  
  
And lastly, she walked up to Merriman confidently. "Well, Merriman, I guess this is-"  
  
"Not goodbye. You'll find a way out of this, Grace. I know you will."  
  
"Well, I'm glad you have such confidence in me. But like I said, I don't have the answers to everything, and people should stop expecting so much of me." She replied staring holes into the ground. Merriman placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. He looked up into his eyes.  
  
"Grace, be hopeful. I don't think this will be our last meeting. Now go, you have work to do. I think many trials await you." His voice trailed off. "Take care, and remember there is a way out of every situation. Goodbye- for now."  
  
She nodded, though not understanding what he was saying to her. And slowly walked away not looking back. There was silence, and the forest reeked of death. This quest wasn't going to be pleasant.  
* * *  
Fifteen minutes later, the company still hadn't got over the shock of seeing Grace go, and no-one had said a word to each other since. Bran stood silently and thoughtfully, seeming not to realise that anyone else was there over by a dark rotting tree, strangely with brown leaves though it was summer. Will and Simon were sitting cross-legged at opposite sides of the clearing. And Merriman, he was standing, his eyes piercing into the crystal, as though it had offended him greatly, but not picking it up.  
  
Simon lifted his head from his hands and gazed around at everyone else, resting his eyes the longest on Bran. What was so strange about Grace? She seemed so utterly normal. on the outside. but something about her, oddly reminded him of Bran. Maybe it was her secretiveness or her gracefulness. Or maybe it was the fact that. when you looked deeply into their eyes when they were angry, or frustrated, they seemed to have the same fire burning bright in their eyes.  
  
He turned his gaze to Merriman.  
  
"How could you just let her go Gummery?" Asked Simon in a hoarse whisper. Everyone turned their heads suddenly towards him with wide eyes as though they had seen a ghost. Simon averted his eyes back to the ground and began ripping blades of grass out of the ground.  
  
"Simon, be patient. I have a feeling. a feeling that something's going to happen when she goes out there. She will have an experience similar to death, but will join us again- she will be much stronger. She will not die."  
  
"How can you be so sure?" Said Simon, trying to conceal the fact that though he was trying to believe him, none of what Merriman was saying could be true. How could he be so damned sure that Grace would be able to come back? Didn't she say that the only way to get to Jane was for there to be a sacrifice made to Odin? So would that mean, that if she came back, they wouldn't be able to get to Jane and rescue her? Then what would happen? They couldn't just leave her in the hands of her captors!  
  
"You need to now. She believe me when I tell you that. somehow she will be back."  
  
Silence consumed the company once again.  
  
"Gummery, I need to sleep, I have no idea what time it is, but I'm really tired. Wake me up when the crystal starts glowing."  
  
"Yes. I think it would be best if I rest too. I haven't been asleep since. well, God knows how long."  
  
Merriman nodded, and watched as Will and Simon each found a tree to lean on, and waited until they nodded off, before he too went over to a tree and sat back, not closing his eyes, but just resting.  
  
"Uh." Interrupted Bran unexpectedly. "I know this isn't the time to ask a question like this, but who is her father and why is she so afraid of him? I mean. perhaps if we knew, then we could talk to him or something and make him convince her that she didn't need to prove herself to him."  
  
Merriman's eyes gleamed. "Bran." He began, then sighed, unsure of what to say, and how much to tell him. "For one thing, she is not afraid of him, but I think, forever hoping for his approval. There's a prophecy about her. which basically foretells that she will either save the world from the Dark side with her continuous faith in herself, which is the only way she can win, or the world will be plunged into darkness and she will be remembered as a coward, and we will be slaves to a Dark lord. I think. where she is going, is just a test. I know she will succeed, and she will see that she is very powerful- at the moment she doesn't believe that she is. Her belief in herself will save us all. Let's just hope she has the strength to do what is expected of her." He paused and shook his head lightly. He looked into Bran's eyes doubtfully. A moment passed by, when finally Merriman decided to speak again. " I don't know if I should mention this to you. but. Bran, Grace is the daughter of King Arthur. She's your sister."  
* * *  
Hahahaha. aren't I just purely evil for ending this chapter like that? Lol- please review! And like, if you want, tell me how you expect him to react. lol- I think this would be funny. 


	6. The truth is finally out

Grace slumped back down onto the damp grass somewhere, God knows where, at the edge of the maze. She sighed, ever since she had left Merriman and the others, it was almost like she had lost all sense of where she was or what she was doing here- well, actually, it was ever since she had had that. conversation with The Lady. Just seeing her. was inexplicable. It was so strange to finally speak to her after all this time- she could remember exactly what had happened the last time they had spoken to each other, and every time she thought about it, recalled those images, a lump rose in her thought, and she thought she would burst into tears. She shook her head vigorously. She had to concentrate on the task at hand. She had to focus. Now, where exactly was she? She looked around her once more, which didn't help her much considering she could barely see even three metres in each direction due to the gradually darkening night. Why couldn't she feel which way to go? She dropped her head on her knees and placed her hands on the back of her neck. This couldn't be good, she had been wondering around aimlessly for about and hour now, and God knows what could be happening to Jane, and she was stuck in here feeling sorry for herself- she jerked her head up suddenly. A noise- galloping? No-way.  
  
She stood up and waited silently, trying to control her mounting fear. Suddenly, she felt something cold against the back of her neck, making the tiny hairs on her neck prickle.  
  
She slowly turned around. A man- no, a boy more like, around 17 years old at most, sitting gallantly on a gleaming black horse with a single white spot on it's forehead; he was clad in a long white cloak, lustrous in the darkness, she almost had to turn her head away from the brightness.  
  
"Grace."  
  
She could do nothing but stare at him in shock. What was happening? Could this be some sort of dream? Why was there a person here, appearing out of no-where, dressed in white? White. She thought that this probably ruled out the option that he was one of Odin's servants. But under the current circumstances, the chance of this person, dressed in white, though traditionally he should be one of the good guys, could in fact be one of Odin's henchmen.  
  
"We have been awaiting her arrival. We must proceed with haste- it could already be too late. It was not anticipated that you would take so long in finding your way in this maze- after all, you have faced worse."  
  
"Who are you?" She finally managed to choke out, not really listening to the boys' orders- her mind sinking deeper into a new reverie, who could this boy be? Why was he here? Could he help her rescue Jane? Or was he here to make her suffer even more on her way to Odin's layer? Pure purgatory. She never thought her death would come so soon, she didn't even think she would have to suffer through purgatory before, let alone hell. Not that she was a being devoid of sins, but she never thought that what she had done in her life would be bad enough to be worthy of such a fate after death. She sighed, finally snapping out of her rumination and glanced up at him.  
  
He paused for a moment, met her oddly vacant eyes for a brief second and took in a deep breath as his eyes darting abruptly to her left, avoiding her ghostly glance. "That is of now importance. We must rise to Odin's challenge before it is too late."  
  
"Odin's challenge? What are you talking about? I'm not being challenged for heaven's sake, I'm going on. I have something I must do."  
  
"We know what you are about to do. You're going to sacrifice your life in return for Jane Drew's. But there is no need for someone as powerful- potentially powerful as yourself to die for no reason."  
  
"No reason?" She cried out hysterically, outraged at such a implication." I'm not dying for no reason! I'm going to save Jane."  
  
The boy was evidently becoming frustrated. "Grace, would you rather go on a suicide mission or would you rather be tested, to prove your power, your worth on this planet and live?"  
  
"Who are you to question my intentions? I don't even know who you are! I have no idea what you're doing here- for all I know, you could be here just to make my life a living hell, well, what's left of it, and lead me to even more peril."  
  
He sighed and shook his head. "If you must know, my name is Zac Russell. I am here on behalf of the High Magic, they knew all along what you were about to do, and we were willing to make a deal with Odin to save your life." He paused and looked deep into her eyes. "You are more important in the coarse of the magical world even more than you could possibly ever comprehend. But for now, that is unimportant, all you must do is accept every challenge to get, and win, only that way, will he let you stay alive. And I am here to help you. I also have a rough idea of why your powers may be failing you."  
  
She didn't reply, but was instead trying to take in everything that this strange man had just been telling her. Important? How could she be important? Merriman was more powerful than she- why could he just save the world like he was meant to? Her head was spinning and she resisted the urge to just fall limply onto the ground. She was weary of all this. sick of everything. couldn't it just all end? Why did this guy have to be the hero and save her? She shook her head. No, not thoughts like that. She didn't want to die! She didn't! Yeah, keep telling yourself that you moron. The more you live on this earth the more pain you're going to feel. But you're so stupid, you think you can actually deal with it because you think you're so damned strong.  
  
"You want Bran here by your side- he was your source of power you could say. Something or something who would help your power reach it's highest- and without him, you're emotionally weary, you can't concentrate on what you're doing, which of course affects your magic."  
  
"Why didn't it happen when I was with The Lady?"  
  
"It didn't happen when you were with her because at that time you could control your emotions, that's what you had been trained to do, and now that it's happening all over again, this time stronger than it was before, and now that you're just remembering your training, you can't control it- you need him. But that's why I'm here. I'm going to help you through this."  
  
She nodded, and finally gave into the overwhelming feeling of nausea that she felt and fell to the floor, her head spinning, the world around her tilting and the trees swimming in her vision.  
  
"Argh." She groaned.  
  
The horse tapped its left foot near her side gently, as the boy jumped off his horse in a hurry, and almost stumbling over a branch lying on the ground where he had leapt of his horse. He leaned down beside her and gently laid his hand on her back.  
  
"What's the matter? Are you all right?" He asked, his voice breaking slightly.  
  
She titled her head side-ways on her knees so that she could see him. "Yeah, I'm fine, I have no idea what came over me."  
  
"I think. I can't be sure, but I think it's because you're near Odin, and he's absorbing your power. We must hurry before you lose all your powers- then there'll be no way to save your life." He turned his face away from her. "That's assuming you want to live."  
  
* * *  
  
"You have got to be kidding me. I don't have a sister and never have done."  
  
There was a short silence before Merriman spoke once more. "No, not that you know of."  
  
"No-no way!" Bran spun around as to avoid the piercing stares of his now- wide-awake companions. "That's just no possible!" He cried, he spun around again hysterically- totally unlike himself. He spared a quick glance at Merriman, and not getting any sort of comfort from him, carried on ranting. "But I don't have any magic- not like hers! I'm nothing like her!"  
  
"You have no idea how much alike you two are. You just don't know her very well." Whispered Merriman, his eyes cast downwards, his figure still standing defiantly above the others, the darkness casting shadows under his eyes.  
  
Bran fell hard onto the ground.  
  
"Bran, are you okay?" Asked Will, as he ran over to his 'confused' friend.  
  
Bran shook his head. Silence enveloped them for what seemed like eternity- everyone excluding Merriman trying to come to terms with the fact that Grace was Bran's sister.  
  
Will felt almost disgusted and as though he had betrayed Bran's trust by having feelings like. like he did for his sister! His sister!  
  
"Well," Sighed Bran finally. "We can't let her go and kill herself. No-way. There's no way I can lose her after I've just discovered she's my sister." He turned around in the direction of the long exit from the middle of the maze. "I have to find her."  
  
"And do what? Tell her you know she's your sister, and that there's nothing you can do to help her, hug her and say bye?" Cried Simon, trying to talk some sense into Bran.  
  
"Simon, you of all people I thought would understand. You have a sister, and at the moment she's missing, do you stand by and wallow in your misery or do something about it? Help her?" He paused, trying to get his breath back. "You would help her of course, I can't just watch her go. No. I have to talk to her."  
  
"Bran, please, think this through. Think about what you're about to do. You don't even know which way to take in the maze, your chances of finding her are almost nil. Please, calm down." Said Will, his gaze slowly travelling to Merriman's still form and back down to the floor. Pleading him to back him up, but no words of wisdom flowed from his lips. Nothing. What was wrong with him? Did he really want Bran to go?  
  
Bran shook his head. "No, I have to go. I have to try and do something!" And with that, he ran towards the clearing in the trees to try and find Grace in the huge dark maze all by himself. Will ran after him, but was stopped before he reached the exit by Merriman's long arm stuck out like a barrier, hitting his chest sturdily. Will winced.  
  
Merriman, how can you be so calm and watch him go like that?  
  
I believe that. Grace may need Bran in what she's going to do.  
  
What are you talking about?  
  
Merriman sighed. You will see in time. For now, I can not possibly begin to explain the implications. she will survive Will. With Bran's help. We had to let him go. He would be no use to us with his mind so preoccupied.  
  
Will nodded and spared a quick glance over at Simon who was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed across his chest and his brows knitted together in a frown.  
  
It was going to be hard waiting. Especially with such little answers. And for once, he had no idea what on earth Merriman was talking about. It was so unlike him to keep something so important from him.  
  
* * *  
  
Zac's horse came to an abrupt halt as Zac suddenly stood still in the middle of a vast corridor of dark green trees and bushes. He slowly made his way to the horse where Grace's lithe form lay sleeping, and tugged slowly at her sleeve to try and wake her. He had seen that she was in no condition to walk after she collapsed earlier on in the maze, and she would need all the energy she could muster. He had noticed her face getting paler and paler and had continuously checked that she was comfortable and that she wasn't developing a fever, after all, last time he had been here, he had had a fever, it was amazing that she could get so far without being sick or showing any signs of illness.  
  
"Grace. Grace, wake up. We're here." He whispered to an area below her right ear.  
  
Her eyelids fluttered open, and a while passed before she actually registered where they were. "Great, you have no idea how good it feels to wake up knowing that I'm getting closer and closer to my death." She muttered sarcastically.  
  
"Don't talk like that, you're not going to die, not if I can help it anyway." He replied, helping her off his horse, and realising that he was blushing, turned his face away from her.  
  
"Where are we?"  
  
"We are here, the entrance should be here somewhere, I had to wake you, because you're the only one who can find it."  
  
A baffled expression crossed her tired and blanched features. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, the entrance isn't exactly a door, it something you have to either touch or walk over to access it. It should be a wall of fire- but I can not be sure, it is what I have been told, but it was only a rumour. I can only assume."  
  
She nodded defiantly. Well, closer and closer was her death, and there were still so many things she had wanted to do in her time on earth. She hadn't even fallen in love yet, she hadn't even turned 16 yet, and she was going to die. The most beautiful and exciting years of her life would be snatched away from her to save the life of another. She sighed. She shouldn't doubt this- she had come this far, there was no turning back. No turning back. no hope. She was going to die, and she was expected to do it gracefully. She wasn't sure she could rise up to this assumption.  
  
* * *  
  
About fifteen minutes after Bran's departure and Simon was still leaning against a tree, with his arms crossed, Will was still thinking about what 'implications' Merriman could possibly be talking about, and Merriman was still caught in his own thoughts unable to free himself from the growing doubt that he was feeling about this quest.  
  
Will rose up from the floor where he had been momentarily sitting cross legged, and turned his wide eyes over to Merriman.  
  
"Merriman, something's happening. I can feel it. Look, the crystal is faintly glowing."  
  
Merriman slowly walked towards the crystal, as Simon finally tore himself away from the tree he had been leaning on for the past 15 minutes, and the gathered around the trunk of a tree with the crystal lying upon it.  
  
"Do you think that if we touched it now, it would work?" Asked Simon, not letting his eyes stray from the luminous crystal.  
  
"I don't think so. I mean, does it look like it's glowing red, or is it just me?" Replied Will, he too, too transfixed on the crystal to break his glance from it.  
  
"No, I believe you are right. It is glowing red- but there shouldn't be anything to be afraid of- I don't think this means that something bad has happened."  
  
"But how can you be sure? How am I ever to find Jane? How are we going to save her?" Cried Simon frantically, finally parting his gaze from the crystal to raise his angry eyes up to Merriman's.  
  
"Perhaps we should just wait-" Will tried to interrupt, but nothing could be done to console Simon. Nothing could be done but listen to him ranting in this hysterical state. Will sighed- he too was becoming awfully unhopeful of ever finding Jane, it was a risk to come here in the first place, and they hadn't even expected to be this successful, well, up to now- and Simon behaving the way he was now, didn't help to calm Will either, he was sure his composure would crumble any second from so much stress.  
  
"Jane, poor Jane, how are we ever going to find her?" Suddenly everything went quiet as Simon's spouting had abruptly come to an end. He turned his head in the direction of the crystal, looking at it, but not really seeing it. "No- it can't be red! I must be colour blind or something-"  
  
"Simon calm down for heaven's sake!" Boomed Merriman's deep voice. "Your behaviour isn't helping anybody. We all are very worried about Jane, and are doing our best to help her, as is the High Magic. And I believe the reason it's glowing red is not because Graces' sacrifice hasn't worked or wasn't enough, but because she hasn't reached the gateway yet. No, I'm sure of it, there hasn't been enough time." He paused and whispered more to himself than anybody, his eyes closed, "but if she does not hurry than the servants of the Dark will be able to pass through this gateway to wreck havoc upon this world, and not even Grace or the High magic will be able to stop it. Not this time."  
  
* * *  
  
Grace stood as still as a statue in front of a cold wall of fire which had suddenly appeared in front of her- her hands clenching and unclenching, nail marks in her palms where her fingers had pressed down so hard. She was paralysed in fear- in fear of everything, of going to the other side, of failing Jane, of the sacrifice not being enough to rescue Jane, therefore rendering all her efforts to save her pointless, and worst of all, of Bran dying on this quest. Anything could be possible, and never in her life had she felt as frightened, morose, unhopeful and disconsolate as she was feeling now. It was reaching a point of intolerability. Doubt and pointlessness clouded her mind. It was as though the white wall of fire was feeding off of all her happy memories- the more happy memories, the higher it got.  
  
She fell to her knees in front of it and raised her hands and gripped her head tightly- taking in deep breaths to try and concentrate on clearing her mind of tall the morbid thoughts which had surfaced over the passed few seconds in which the wall- the gateway had appeared.  
  
She felt Zac lower himself down beside her, and clasped her shoulders in support.  
  
He didn't know what exactly had possessed him to make such an- an emotional gesture but he couldn't bear to stand by and do nothing while Grace was so evidently suffering. Her face had become even paler than it had been before, and as soon as she had fallen down on her knees, he couldn't resist the urge to go over to her and embrace her.  
  
He had heard so many things about her, the way she had treated The Lady when she was younger (though perhaps the cause was just, she didn't really have any right to question The Lady's motives in training her, though whether he wouldn't have behaved in the same way in a situation like that, he didn't know), the way she had reacted when her parents had died, everything, he had heard everything about her, and yet, all this assessment of her character which he had heard from his friends, and from his masters was so. so different to what he had finally found in her. She wasn't what he had expected at all. She was strong, noble, kind, caring, humorous and brave, she just needed a push every now and again. She wasn't the cold and heartless person he had assumed she had been when she was younger against The Lady- not that any of this mattered at a moment like this- why did he always have to justify the way he was feeling at times like this? Not that he could. it was a strange feeling. he shook his head. Concentrate on the task at hand Zac! Stop thinking of your stupid fantasies, which you wish could happen between you and Grace-, you don't even know her!  
  
"Grace, come on, you can do this, whatever you're thinking, it not real, nothing as bad as what you're thinking at the moment will happened! You can conquer this, it's only the gateway to Odin's realm which is doing this to you."  
  
"No- no, I can't- there are just too many consequences that could happen, too many flaws in this plan, if I'm not with them, Bran could very well die, Jane can not be saved! This is utterly pointless!" She choked out, and took in a deep breath, tears beginning to drop slowly from her dark eyes. "Why do you want to save me? I deserve to die for the things that I've done. I shouldn't have been so terribly to The Lady- all my friends are dead, my parents are dead- no-one cares! No-one knows or cares about how I'm feelings!"  
  
Zac shook her gently. "Grace! Snap out of it! I care Grace, God, why would anyone want anything bad to happen to you? You don't deserve to die! Think of all the innocent people who will die if you're not here to save them?"  
  
Grace sighed, and now her tears flowed freely down her rosy hot cheeks, she took her hands off her head and put her arms around Zac, and a great sense of comfort and relief washed through her, as she felt Zac's arms hold her tighter, slowly rubbing her back in comfort. She rested her forehead on his shoulder.  
  
"Zac, I can't do this!" Gasped Grace between her sobs. "I'm sick of fighting, I want all of this to be over, I want all this to stop, the fighting, the pain!"  
  
"Sssshh, Grace- it's okay, I'll help you through this. Please, calm down." He gazed into her dark Brown eyes as she lifted her head off his shoulder. "Trust me." He whispered.  
  
She pulled slightly away from him, trying not to pull away too much which would mean him having to release her from his strong grip-, which of course she didn't want, there faces were so close together she could see her reflection in his bright green eyes. She began wiping the tears from beneath her own blood shot eyes.  
  
God she wanted to trust him so much. she so badly needed someone like him at a moment like this in her life.  
  
"Are you coming through with me?" She asked hopefully.  
  
"I-"  
  
Suddenly a rustling sound came from behind them, they immediately let go of each other, not knowing what had come over them.  
  
"What was that?" Whispered Grace from some point behind Zac. He couldn't be sure, he was attentively listening to what it could be that was so close to them.  
  
"I have no idea, but it doesn't sound like an animal."  
  
Grace heaved herself off the floor, just as the mystery person came into view, and she stopped dead in her tracks, as the boy inched slowly closer to her. The melancholy look on her face vanished to be replaced by a huge grin that lit up her whole face.  
  
The boy stopped barely two metres away from her, a smile creeping up on his lips.  
  
"Grace, I know. everything and I want to help you. If you'll let me."  
  
And with that, she ran over to him and wrapped her long arms around him, tears once again flowing freely from her already sore eyes.  
  
"You have no idea how glad I am that you're here with me."  
  
* * *  
  
Please tell me what you think of this chapter!!!! Because I wasn't too sure if some of the parts. er, worked so well, and I thought Will was kinda OOC at times- but I couldn't help it! I'm sorry! ::sobs:: Please review! ~_~ 


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